G5056 — τέλος (télos)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G5056
Original: τέλος
Transliteration: télos
Pronunciation: tel'-os
Part of Speech: Neuter noun
Root: τέλλω (téllō) — to set out for a definite point or goal
Occurrences: 41 unique verses (42 tokens)
Books: 14 (NT only)
First Occurrence: Matt 10:22 — "he that endureth to the end shall be saved"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From a primary τέλλω (téllō, to set out for a definite point or goal): the conclusion of an act or state (termination, result), or the purpose toward which it tends (aim, goal); also used for a tax or toll (as settled payment). The root idea is reaching a definitive endpoint — whether temporal, purposive, or transactional.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Primary Domain: 67.003 — Time: A Point of Time with Reference to Duration of Time: Beginning, End — Other words in domain: ἀρχή (G0746), ἔκβασις (G1545), πλήρωμα (G4138), συντέλεια (G4930)
Secondary Domain: 57.014 — Tax, Tribute — Other words in domain: τελέω (G5055), τελώνης (G5057), φόρος (G5411)
Tertiary Domain: 78.004 — Completely, Enough (Completive Degree) — Captures adverbial εἰς τέλος = "completely, utterly"

UBS Semantic Domains: - [067] Time - [089] Relations - [078] Degree - [057] Possess, Transfer, Exchange - [061] Sequence

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
end / the end / an end	34	83%
custom (tax/tribute)	2	5%
ends (pl.)	1	2%
the uttermost	1	2%
her continual	1	2%
Finally	1	2%
the ending	1	2%

Note: "custom" (Rom 13:7 ×2) reflects the tax/tribute domain; "uttermost" (Jhn 13:1 mg.), "continual" (Luk 18:5), and "Finally" (1Pe 3:8) reflect the adverbial εἰς τέλος idiom (completely / persistently / in summary).

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
1 Peter	4	3.8
Hebrews	5	1.7
2 Corinthians	3	1.2
1 Thessalonians	1	1.1
Revelation	4	1.0
Romans	4	0.9
1 Timothy	1	0.9
James	1	0.9
1 Corinthians	3	0.7
Matthew	6	0.6
Mark	3	0.4
Luke	4	0.3
Philippians	1	—
John	1	0.1

Concentrated in the epistles (1 Pet, Heb, Romans, 2 Cor) and apocalyptic-eschatological texts (Rev, synoptic Olivet Discourse). Largely absent from narrative sections (only 1 John occurrence in Jhn 13:1).

Semantic Categories¶

1. Temporal Terminus — Endurance to the End¶

Eschatological context: disciples must persist through tribulation until the definitive endpoint. - Matt 10:22 — "he that endureth to the end shall be saved" - Matt 24:13 — "he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved" - Mark 13:13 — parallel: "he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved" - Rev 2:26 — "he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end"

2. Eschatological Consummation — The End of the Age¶

The arrival of the final event-horizon that concludes history or an era. - Matt 24:6, 14 — "the end is not yet… then shall the end come" - 1 Cor 15:24 — "Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God" - 1 Pet 4:7 — "the end of all things is at hand" - Rev 21:6; 22:13 — "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end"

3. Outcome / Result of a Process¶

τέλος as the final state that a trajectory produces — death or life, destruction or glory. - Rom 6:21 — "for the end of those things is death" - Rom 6:22 — "the end everlasting life" - 2 Cor 11:15 — "whose end shall be according to their works" - Phil 3:19 — "whose end is destruction"

4. Goal / Purpose / Culmination of Something¶

τέλος as the telos-ic aim or intended fulfillment — what something is ultimately for. - Rom 10:4 — "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness" - 1 Tim 1:5 — "the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart" - 1 Pet 1:9 — "Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls" - Jas 5:11 — "ye have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful"

5. Tax / Tribute (Administrative)¶

Plural τέλη = toll or tribute paid to authorities; this usage is grounded in the root sense of a "settled, completed payment." - Matt 17:25 — "of whom do the kings of the earth take custom (τέλη) or tribute?" - Rom 13:7 — "Render… custom to whom custom" (τέλος to the tax authority)

6. Adverbial εἰς τέλος — Completely / Persistently¶

When used in the phrase εἰς τέλος, τέλος functions adverbially: "utterly, completely, to the very end." - John 13:1 — "he loved them unto the end" (eis telos = fully, completely, to the uttermost) - Luke 18:5 — "her continual coming" (εἰς τέλος = persistently without letup) - Heb 3:6, 3:14 — "hold fast... stedfast unto the end"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
πᾶς (all, every)	G3956	10x	"end of all things," "endure to the end" (universal scope)
ἀρχή (beginning)	G746	6x	"the beginning and the end" — polar pair in Rev and Heb
σώζω (save)	G4982	4x	"endureth to the end shall be saved" — synoptic endurance formula
ὑπομένω (endure)	G5278	4x	"he that endureth (ὑπομένω) to the end (τέλος)"
Χριστός (Christ)	G5547	4x	"Christ is the end of the law"; Alpha/Omega contexts
ζωή (life)	G2222	3x	Outcome: end = life/death (Rom 6:21–22)
βασιλεία (kingdom)	G932	3x	1 Cor 15:24 — the end delivers the kingdom to the Father

Word Family / Cognates¶

G5055 τελέω (teleō) — verb: to bring to completion, accomplish, fulfill, pay; cognate verb
G5046 τέλειος (téleios) — adj: complete, perfect, mature
G5048 τελειόω (teleiōō) — verb: to perfect, bring to designed completion
G4930 συντέλεια (syntéleia) — "consummation" (σύν + τέλος) — collective completion of an age
G5057 τελώνης (telōnēs) — tax collector (draws on the tax/tribute sense)

Synonyms¶

search_relationships.py surfaced conceptual neighbors rather than strict lexical equivalents: - G3062 λοιπός (loipos) — remaining, the rest - G2746 καύχησις (kauchēsis) — boasting, rejoicing - G1391 δόξα (doxa) — glory

Antonyms¶

No antonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G5056.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared KJV Translation	Key Difference
συντέλεια (syntéleia)	G4930	both → "end"	syntéleia = collective consummation of an entire age (always plural or age-ending in NT); télos = the terminus point or goal of a specific thing
πέρας (péras)	G4009	both → "end"	péras = spatial boundary, outer edge ("ends of the earth"); télos = temporal endpoint or purposive goal
ἔκβασις (ékbasis)	G1545	both → "end"	ékbasis = specific outcome or way out (Heb 13:7: "considering the end of their conversation"); télos = the culminating endpoint

Hebrew Source (LXX)¶

G5056 maps to Hebrew words primarily via the Psalm superscriptions — the LXX rendered the Psalms header לַמְנַצֵּחַ (laménatsséach, "for/to the director/chief musician") as εἰς τέλος ("to the end/completion"), interpreting the musical term as an eschatological dedication.

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occ	PMI	Notes
נָצַח (natsach)	H5329	55	7.21	Verb: to oversee, be preeminent; Ps superscription "to the director" → εἰς τέλος
מִזְמוֹר (mizmor)	H4210	35	6.74	Psalm type title — co-occurs with נָצַח in headers
נֶצַח (netsach)	H5331	19	6.41	Noun: perpetuity, victory, forever — LXX reads as "to the end/completion"
מַשְׂכִּיל (maskiyl)	H4905	9	6.92	Instructive psalm type — co-occurs with נָצַח

Significance: The LXX choice of εἰς τέλος for the Psalm dedication header apparently reflects a reading of נָצַח as "to the victory/completion" (from netsach = enduring triumph) rather than "to the director." Early Christian interpreters (Justin Martyr, Tertullian) exploited this LXX rendering to read the Psalms as pointing forward to Christ's final triumph — a distinctly eschatological hermeneutic.